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Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Kennedys court Catholic support for Clinton
Two members of the Kennedy family supporting Hillary Clinton for president are urging Ohio Catholics to back the New York senator in her race for the Democratic presidential nomination against Barack Obama, the Illinois senator.
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend and Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. made their pitch in an “Open Letter to Ohio Catholics” being distributed by e-mail, said Eric McFadden, Ohio Faith Outreach Director for the Clinton campaign. Their father was the late Robert F. Kennedy. Their uncle, Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, supports Obama.
The letter says that Clinton, a Methodist, has drawn Catholic support in “record numbers” and stresses her “commitment to and work on behalf of others.”
Here’s the text of the letter:
Catholics across America have turned out in record numbers to cast their votes for Hillary Clinton. In primary after primary, we have witnessed support for Hillary from thousands of lay Catholics, clergy and our beloved women religious. Political pundits have offered various explanations for this phenomenon, but we believe the answer lies with the recognition by Catholic voters of her long commitment to and work on behalf of others.
Hillary’s commitment to the common good parallels Catholic social teaching and work on behalf of women, children, the ill and the destitute has been a life long pursuit. Her Methodist faith, like our Catholic faith has not only sustained her throughout her life, it has also compelled her to find solutions to everyday problems. Hillary is a person of action. Throughout her adult life she has used her time and talents to advocate for others.
Hillary Clinton understands the issues facing working families all across the country. Whether it is the nation-wide mortgage crisis that has resulted in more than 150,000 foreclosures in Ohio , the ever rising cost of fuel, or the fact that more than one million people in Ohio have no health insurance, Hillary has offered concrete proposals to overcome these problems. Never afraid of hard work, she is someone who listens, learns and then acts to improve conditions and solve problems.
Catholics have a partner in Hillary Clinton, one who will work to advance the common good of all Ohioans and all Americans. Her record and experience promoting peace and social justice, respecting the dignity of the individual, family life, human rights, concern for the poor and the dignity of work is well documented. With Hillary Clinton Catholics know they will have a President who understands that the well being of the working family is a cornerstone of American values.
Yours,
Kathleen Kennedy Townsend
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
Eye on Ohio: “Quiet” ad for Obama
Obama ad talks about energy
THE AD: “Quiet,” 30 seconds.
WHERE TO SEE IT: Began airing Wednesday, Feb. 27, on Ohio television stations.
SCRIPT:
I’m Barack Obama and I approve this message. I don’t accept that we should be still sending $800 million dollars a day, part of it to hostile nations because of our addiction to foreign oil, and in the bargain we’re melting the polar ice caps. I went to Detroit to insist that we have to increase fuel efficiency standards. Now, I have to admit, the room got kind of quiet. We can’t just tell people what they want to hear. We need to tell them what they need to hear. We need to tell them the truth.
VIDEO:
The ad flashes a black and white picture of Obama, then cuts to him talking, clad in a dress shirt and red and white tie, to a medium-sized crowd. It shows a close-up of a woman in the crowd, then flashes back to Obama before cutting to a screen that lists components of Obama’s energy plan: Reduce carbon emissions 80 percent by 2050; invest $150 billion in clean energy and create a Green Job Corps. Then it cuts back to Obama addressing the crowd. It closes by displaying a blue screen urging people to vote Tuesday and giving them information about early voting.
ANALYSIS:
This ad is really about two things: Sure, it’s about global warming and energy - issues that don’t really poll high in the Buckeye State - but it also aims to paint Obama as a tough-talker who is willing to tell uncomfortable truths - something that appeals to supporters of front-running Republican candidate Sen. John McCain, ironically. Obama’s energy and global warming position is not that disparate from Sen. Hillary Clinton’s - both call for a cap-and-trade system that would cut carbon emissions by 80 percent of 1990 levels by 2050. Both have also called for additional investment in clean energy technologies, though Obama calls for a $150 billion investment over 10 years while Clinton calls for a $50 billion strategic energy fund to invest in alternative energy.
Both also call for increasing fuel economy standards, albeit by slightly different standards. And both would aim for 25 percent of electricity being used in the U.S. to come from renewable sources by 2025.
Jessica Wehrman is a reporter at The Dayton Daily News.
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Turner: Yup, I’m with McCain, too
Rep. Mike Turner Wednesday formally endorsed Sen. John McCain for president, issuing a statement out of his office saying he believed that front-runner for the Republican nomination would be the most effective leader on both fiscal and national security issues.
“In his 25 years in Congress, Sen. McCain has worked to reduce federal spending and lower taxes,” Turner, R-Centerville, said. ” The senator’s vow to permanently reduce the taxes which are burdening American families while cutting rising federal spending is the right approach to our budget process. I am proud to support Senator John McCain for President.”
Turner is the second Miami Valley congressman to endorse: House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-West Chester, backed McCain last week.
As Dayton goes - so goes McLin
At her annual state of the city address today, Dayton Mayor Rhine McLin said she will wait to see how the city of Dayton votes on March 4 before giving her support to a Democratic candidate.
http://www.daytondailynews.com/news/mplayer/election 2008/68826
“This is one time I can sit back and let the people tell me exactly what they want,” said McLin, also a superdelegate to the Democratic Convention in Denver.
In comparing Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, McLin said. “Either one, I think, would make a great president.
Clinton holds summit
By Laura A. Bischoff Staff Writer
ZANESVILLE — While Sen. Hillary Clinton advertised her roundtable on Wednesday as an “Economic Solutions Summit” it seemed short on solutions and heavy on sad stories: home foreclosures, the loss of manufacturing jobs, a broken health care system and staggering college tuition costs.
But most of the 15 panel members - business leaders, governors, union members and others — agreed Clinton is the best candidate to address these troubles.
“I’ve known you for 15 years but I wouldn’t support you if I didn’t think you’re the best candidate for Ohio,” Gov. Ted Strickland said, telling Clinton that the state needs jobs, help from the federal government, and universal health care.
Clinton promised to close tax loopholes that benefit companies moving jobs overseas, reinvest in the manufacturing sector, put a moratorium on home foreclosures, and create 5 million “green collar” jobs in the clean energy industry.
“I think we’ve got some great opportunities here. We hear a lot about the problems and they are serious but I believe for every problem there is at least one solution,” Clinton said. “We just have to start acting like Americans again, and roll up our sleeves and actually solve our problems. No more whining, no more finger pointing. Let’s get to work.”
Clinton assembled plenty of horse power for the Zanesville summit: two governors, two lieutenant governors, former Sen. John Glenn, labor leaders and business executives, as well as Robert Landry and Beth Dlabay of Dayton who told their story of losing their East Dayton home to foreclosure on Christmas Eve.
Clinton said she invited the Daytonians to put a face on the staggering numbers: 150,000 home foreclosures in Ohio last year and 13,000 notices sent out in January. “We just needed someone to be there for us. We felt lost,” said Landry, 43, a postal worker. He added that he found help from the Miami Valley Fair Housing Center.
Zanesville was the first stop on a two-day tour of Appalachia Ohio for Clinton. At times, the hour and 40 minute forum felt like a Clinton informercial. At one point, it even got to be too much for Clinton.
“We’re going to put a moratorium on compliments,” she said.
Meanwhile, Sen. Barack Obama appeared at a campaign rally at Ohio State University’s St. John’s Arena with nearly 8,000 people.
Ohio Poll: Obama more likely to beat McCain in November
A poll released this morning of Ohio voters found that if the general election were held today, Democrat Sen. Barack Obama would be more likely to eke out the narrowest of victories over Republican Sen. John McCain than Sen. Hillary Clinton would.
In a poll with plus or minus three percent margin of error, Obama beat McCain 48 to 47 percent.
Clinton didn’t fare as well in a match-up against McCain, the poll found: She received 47 percent of the vote to McCain’s 51 percent.
The results of the Ohio Poll, sponsored by the University of Cincinnati, predict that Ohio’s 20 electoral votes will be hotly contested in November, with the state again looking like a crucial swing state.
Women, the poll found, overwhelmingly backed Clinton or Obama, while men were more likely to support McCain.
In Southwest Ohio, the poll found, voters overwhelmingly preferred McCain to Obama or Clinton: McCain received 51 percent to Obama’s 45 percent in the region and he received 55 percent to Clinton’s 44 percent in southwest Ohio.
The poll of 1,049 registered voters from around the state was taken Feb. 21 through Feb. 24. It has a three percent margin of error.
